Method of making a wire harness

ABSTRACT

A wire harness manufactured by a new method and a new apparatus is provided. A covered wire paid out from a selected one of reels is extended in a predetermined lay-out and fixed. The thus fixed wire is cut-off from the reel. Then, another wire is paid out from another reel for arranging it in a juxtaposing relation to the previously laid-out wire and cut off from the reel. After repeating the above steps, the arranged wires are tied up to form a wire harness. There is also provided a device which puts the above method into practice, thereby reducing complicated assorting work involved in the manufacture of a wire harness. A method and a device for automatically uncovering end portions of each wire of the wire harness and attaching terminals thereto are also provided to greatly increasing the productivity.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 80,682 filed Oct. 1, 1979.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wire harnesses.

A wire harness generally consists of a large number of wires combinedtogether to form branches of main lines. Terminals connectors or likemembers are connected to the respective branches. Various automaticwiring methods have heretofore been proposed to save time and labor inthe production of such wire harnesses.

In principle the, prior art uses wires precut to a determined length andlaid between intended terminals, connectors, or like members. Suchprocesses are time consuming which is reflected by poor productivity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness whichcan be manufactured by a time and labor saving method which compriseslaying a wire on a plurality of pre-arranged bridges, cutting said laidwire to a predetermined length, and repeating the above step. The thusprovided wire harness comprises a plurality of bridges arranged withpredetermined spacings therebetween; and a plurality of covered wiresheld by said bridges at their end portions, said wires crossing overeach bridge with suitable spacings therebetween, said end portions whichextend from said bridge being of equal length to each other. In anotheraspect, the wire harness comprises a plurality of bridges arranged withpredetermined spacings therebetween; a plurality of covered wires heldby said bridges at their end portions, said wires crossing over eachbridge with equal spacings therebetween, said end portions which extendfrom said bridge being of equal length to each other; and a terminalmembers attached to uncovered portion of each end portions. In a furtheraspect, the wire harness comprises a plurality of bridges arranged withpredetermined spacings therebetween; a plurality of covered wires heldby said bridges at their end portion, said wires crossing over eachbridge with equal spacings therebetween, said end portions which extendfrom said bridge being of equal length to each other; a terminal memberattached to an uncovered portion of each end portions; and a housingconnector accomodating said terminal member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method whichreduces the time and labor needed for the production of wire harnessesand thereby to make inexpensive wire harnesses. In order to achieve thisobjective, the method of the invention perform simultaneous laying andcutting of wires and, during the laying and cutting operation, securesneatly arranged end portions of wires to a bridge at suitable spacingsso as to facilitate the subsequent easy connection of metallic terminalmembers and the fixation of connectors.

More specifically, the method according to the invention uses aplurality of wiring blocks arranged at given distances on a work tableprior to wiring proceduress. Layed on each block is a bridge forcarrying thereon a set of suitably spaced wires. With a wiring headhaving nosepieces in the form of coil springs at its leading end, theprocess comprises the steps of anchoring a piece of wire to a firstwiring block, stretching the wire toward a second wiring block,anchoring the wire to said second block and cutting the wire. Theprocedure is repeated to lay a plurality of wires successively betweenthose desired wiring blocks. The bridge retains end portions of thecorresponding set of wires in suitably spaced positions.

The thus obtained set of wires are further subjected to a terminalfixing step and a connector housing attaching step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1-A illustrates a wire harness prepared on a worktable at a stageof the method of the present invention;

FIG. 1-B is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention havinga bridge engaging a wire thereon which is being subjected to a step ofthe method of FIG. 1-A;

FIG. 1-C is another example of a bridge;

FIG. 1-D is a further example of a bridge;

FIG. 2 shows a wire harness prepared at a stage subsequent to that shownin FIG. 1-A;

FIG. 3 shows a wire harness prepared at a stage subsequent to that shownin FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a wire harness prepared at a final stage subsequent to thatin FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a device for preparing a wire harnessaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevational view, cross-sectioned in part, ofa wiring head used in the device of FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is a plan view of thewiring head of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged side elevational view partly in section of awiring jig provided in the wiring head of FIGS. 6 and 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side elevational view partly in section of amechanism for the vertical reciprocation and rotation of a clamping jigattached to the wiring head of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged side elevational view of the clamping jig of FIG.9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of one of wiring blocks arranged on theworktable shown in FIG. 1-A;

FIGS. 12-A, 12-B, 12-C show positional relationships between the wiringblock, the wiring jig, and the clamping jig;

FIGS. 13-A to 13-E show a series of wiring steps by using the wiringblocks, the wiring jig, and the clamping jig;

FIGS. 14-A and 14-B show a situation where two wires are to be laid onone another and subjected to the cutting step;

FIG. 15-A is a plan view of another embodiment of a wiring block to copewith the situation shown FIGS. 14-A and 14-B;

FIG. 15-B is a side elevational view of the wiring block of FIG. 15-A;

FIG. 15-C is a front elevational view of the wiring block of FIG. 15-A;

FIG. 15-D is a cross sectional view of the wiring block of FIG. 15-Btaken along the line d--d thereof;

FIGS. 16-A to 16-E show in sequence the operation of an arm provided onthe wiring block of FIGS. 15-A to 15-D;

FIG. 17 shows another example of a wire harness obtained by the wiringblock of FIGS. 15-A to 15-D;

FIG. 18-A shows in side elevation a fusing unit under which the worktable is adapted to travel;

FIG. 18-B is a front elevational view of the fusing unit of FIG. 18-A;

FIG. 19-A illustrates an engagement of the fusing unit and of the wiringblock;

FIG. 19-B is a front elevational view of FIG. 19-A;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a device for removing an insulationcovering of one end portion of each wire of the wire harness and fixinga terminal thereon;

FIG. 21 is a side elevational view partly in section of wire uncoveringand cutting unit provided in the device of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary view illustrating the cutting edges attached tothe unit of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is an illustration of a flat cam attached to the unit of FIG.21;

FIGS. 24-A to 24-D show in sequence an operation of the cutting edges toremove an insulative covering of the wire and cutting the wireconductor;

FIG. 25 is a front elevational view of a terminal fixing unit providedin the device of FIG. 20;

FIG. 26 is a side view of an illustration of a wire harness and a trainof interconnected terminal members which are supplied into said unit;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the train of terminal members suppliedas shown in FIG. 26;

FIGS. 28-A to 28-E are a series of views or illustrations of theoperation of the wire uncovering and cutting unit; and

FIGS. 29-A to 29-B are schematic views illustrating the operation of theterminal fixing unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will hereinafter be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the reference numeral 1 designates a work table onwhich pins 2 and wiring blocks 3 are positioned.

Lying on each of the wiring blocks 3 is a bridge 4 which, as viewed inFIG. 1B, comprises a base 5 and multiple pairs of parallel fusableholding pieces 6 spaced at common perpendicular intervals and extendingalong the longitudinal direction of the base. The holding pieces 6 ineach pair have bevelled sides or slants 7 on their outer top surfaces.In use, the bridge 4 is suitably made for the intended number of wiresto be nested in the bridge. Preferably, the bridges 4 are formed of athermoplastic resinous material similar to that employed for insulativecoverings of wires. However, the bridge may be made of any material ifthe wire 8 is pasted or adhered between the holding pieces 6' bysuitable means such as adhesive K as shown in FIG. 1-C. Alternatively,the bridge may have a plurality of resilient holding pieces 6" such thatthe wires 8 are resiliently held therebetween when pressed in.

Wires 8 are securely nested in sequence in between the cooperating pairsof pieces 6 on each bridge 4 by a cooperative mechanism including theblocks 3 and a programmable automatic machine, i.e. a wiring head with aclamping jig. Those portions of respective wires 8 extending beyond thebridge 4 are cut off at a predetermined length l from the bridge. Thewires are laid over corresponding blocks 3 thereby constituting a wireharness generally designated A in FIG. 1-A.

After the installation of the wires 8, table 1 is bodily moved to thenext station in which a fusing unit corresponding to each block 3 isactivated to melt the pieces 6 of the bridge 4 simultaneously onto theinsulative coverings of the wires 8. Strips of tape 9 for temporaryfastening are then wound round branching portions of the respective setsof wires.

The procedure stated above yields a wire harness B shown in FIG. 2. Inharness B, wires 8 extend at predetermined spacings and in predeterminednumbers and the bridges 4 securely hold the corresponding sets of wiresat a given spacing.

The wires of the wire harness B are layed automatically at the requiredspacings and numbers while their terminal portions are neatly arrangedand fixed by the bridges with a predetermined length thereof extendingbeyond the bridges. This type of wire harness B though onlysemiprocessed can be stored and transported advantageously before itadvances to any subsequent step.

In a wire harness C illustrated in FIG. 3, each of the wires 8 rigid onthe bridge 4 has its insulative covering removed at the end portion byan insulative covering removing unit, and a, terminal member 10 isaffixed to the bare wire end by a terminal fixing unit.

Each bridge 4 in wire harness C retains the end portions of each set ofwires 8 permitting a plurality of terminal members 10 to be attachedsimultaneously to the individual wires. Furthermore, as seen in FIG. 4,all the terminal members can be connected to a connector housing 11simultaneously and easily.

A wire harness D in its fully processed state shown in FIG. 4 has wires8 whose aligned end portions are securely held in the bridge 4 byfusion. Thus, when a tensile force is applied locally to a specific oneof the wires, such as wire 8' as during transportation, storage oractual installation in an automobile, the bridge 4 disperses the tensionto prevent the associated terminal member 10 from disengaging with theconnector 11. However, if no tensile force is expected to be applied toa wire of the wire harness D in any subsequent step then the, bridge 4may be detachably provided on the wire harness.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 19-B, a process according to the invention willbe described.

In FIG. 5, a wiring apparatus is shown in a general perspective view.The apparatus includes a pair of threaded X shafts 12 extending alongopposite longitudinal edges of the work table 1. Cross-beam 13 ismovable on and along X shafts 12 and carries thereon threaded Y shaft 14on which a wiring head 15 is movably supported. X shafts 12 are drivenfor rotation by a first motor (not shown) whereas Y shaft 14 is drivenby a second motor (not shown). By suitably setting the amounts ofrotation of shafts 12 and 14, the wiring head 15 and the wires 8 held bythe head 15 can be brought to any desired position among the respectiveblocks 3 arranged on the work table 1. A control unit 16 is adapted tostore an entire process for wiring programmed on a magnetic tape (NCcontrol). Reference numeral 17 is a reel station where wires 8 whoseinsulative coverings have different colors are stored on a plurality ofindependent reels. Wires 8 are payed out the wiring head 15 throughcorresponding capstans 18 which serve to reduce the magnitude of tensionimparted to the wires being driven by a motor (not shown) in theintended direction of wire feed.

As depicted in side elevation in FIG. 6, the wiring head 15 includesframe 19, a plurality of wiring jigs 24 located on top of frame 19 and aclamping jig 45 positioned below the frame 19. The jigs 24 and 45 arecommonly reciprocated and rotate relative to a predetermined position.

An annular member in the form of a jig mount 21 for mounting the wiringjigs 24 is mounted to frame 19 rotatably through a plurality of guiderollers 20. The jig mount 21 is operatively connected to a limited speedmotor 22 to rotate in a horizontal plane.

Wiring jigs 24 are passed through respective tubular guides 23 which arespaced equidistant along the circumference of jig mount 21. Each of thewiring jigs 24 is locked at a preselected level by a knock pin 25.

Differently colored wires 8 are payed out from the reel station 17 toindividual wiring jigs 24. Jig mount 21 when driven by motor 22 willbring a selected wiring jig 24 to a predetermined position P in FIG. 7.

Each jig 24 reaching the position P is reciprocated vertically inaccordance with the action of a raising and lowering unit 26. Denoted bythe reference numeral 27 is a motor adapted to drive capstan 33 providedto the jig 24.

FIG. 8 illustrates a detailed construction of each wiring jig 24. Asshown, wiring jig 24 comprises tubular member 29 having through bore 28extending axially therethrough to accommodate a wire. Tube 29 carries onits outer periphery a bar 30 which is engagable with the raising andlowering unit 26 (FIG. 7). Capstan head 31 and recoil preventionassembly 35 are mounted above the tube 29. Mounted below the tube 29 isa nozzle or nosepiece 38.

Capstan head 31 has a gear wheel 32 which is driven by motor 27 shown inFIG. 7 and capstan 33 is faced by a slack preventing piece 34. Therecoil preventing assembly 35 has a pair of pawls 36 constantly biasedby spring 36a. Flexible wire guide 37 is provided at the top of therecoil preventinng assembly 35. The nose-piece 38 is in the form of acoil spring with resiliency such that a given intensity of tensionresulting from a travel of the jig 24 causes a flexure of the nosepiecein a direction opposite to the direction of travel and, upon the releaseof the tension, the nosepiece recovers its position. Preferably, thenosepiece 38 is additionally capable of straightening the wire 8 if itis bent.

Wire support 38c is nested in the tube 29 and carries a nosepiecesupport tube 38a fastened to its lower end by means of a screw 38b.

With this arrangement of the wiring jig 24, wire 8 enters jig 24 throughtop wire guide 37 passes between pawls 36, and is passed one turn roundcapstan 33. From capstan 33, the wire extends downwardly through tubes38c and 38a and extends from lower end of nosepiece 38.

An end portion of wire 8 protruding from the nosepiece 38 is retained byclamping pawls 52 (see FIG. 11) mounted on block 3 in a manner describedhereinafter. In this situation when motor 27 is energized so as to drivethe wiring jig 24 causing it to run and impart a tension to wire 8, thetension is controlled by the rotating capstan 33 promoting smooth feedof the wire.

In the event wire 8 is cut by cutting edge 48 of clamping jig 45 (seeFIGS. 9 and 10) which will be discussed later, the tension in wire 8 isreleased abruptly. In this instance, a slack preventing piece 34 facingcapstan 33 exerts a resilient pressure force to prevent the recoil ofthe wire. Consequently, a constant measure of wire 8 extends from theoutlet of the nosepiece.

Additionally, wiring jig 24 has in its upper portion the pair of pawl's36 which are constantly biased by the spring 36a. Pawls 36 prevent wire8 from falling out of the jig 24 even when the jig is stationary. Thus,jig 24 positively holds the wire irrespective of the operatingcondition.

A mechanism for two different kinds of the movements of clamping jig 45is indicated in side elevation in FIG. 9. Body 39 of the clamping jig ismounted to frame 19 of the wiring head so as to reciprocate verticallyrelative to the frame by the action of actuator 40 associated therewith.Annular jig mount 41 functions as a pulley and is rotatably mounted tothe jig body 39 and is in a position where its center coincides with theaxis of the wiring jig 24 at the position P. The angular orientation ofjig 45 is controlled by a limited speed motor 42 which is provided witha timing pulley 43. Passed over this timing pulley 43 and the pulley 41is an endless belt 44. With this construction, motor 42 drives theclamping jig 45 to a desired position about the wiring jig 24 while theactuator moves the clamping jig up or down as desired.

As shown in FIG. 10, clamping jig 45 has a front end clamping plate 46,guide plate 47 with coil spring 47a, cutting edge 48 and a rear endclamping plate 49 arranged in succession radially from the inner end tothe outer end. Guide plate 47 and the cutting edge 48 protrude slightlybeyond the lower ends of clamping plates 46 and 49 and are positioned inperpendicular relation to the clamping plates. Clamping plates 46 and 49are located symmetrically to each other with respect to the cutting edge48.

Referring to FIG. 11, wiring block 3 has a plurality of guide pins 50 atits front upper end and guide slots 54 at the rear end. Interposedbetween the guide pins 50 and guide slots 54 are recesses 51 forreceiving a bridge 4, a series of clamping pawls 52 and a block 53against the top surface of which cutting edge 48 will abut. Said block53 is rigidly mounted on block 3 and functions as an edge shearer. Block3 is also provided with a bore 55 in the vicinity of one lateral end ofrecess 51; bore 55 is adapted to receive a fusing jig 60 which will bereferred to hereinafter. Reference numeral 56 designates a screw forreleasing the clamping pawls 52.

Guide pins 50 and, guide slots 54 serve to guide the nosepieces 38 ofrespective wiring jigs 24 and are provided in accordance with theintended number of wires. Clamping pawls 52 retain wires during thewiring operation and until a subsequent fusing step is over.

Positional relationships of blocks 3-1 and 3-2, wiring jig 24 andclamping jig 45 are indicated in FIGS. 12A-12C. A bridge 4 is nested inthe recess 51 of block 3 prior to a start of wiring operation. At astarting point of the wiring (FIG. 12-A), nosepiece 38 of wiring jig 24is resiliently deformed into engagement with the bridge 4 and in betweenguide pins 50. A predetermined length of the end portion of wire 8extends beyond the bridge 4 and is positioned between neighboringclamping pawls 52.

As clamping jig 45 is then moved downwards as viewed in FIG. 12-B, thefree end of wire 8 is engaged by the guide plate 47 which is projectedbeyond the bottom of the clamping plate 46. The guide plate thereforecenters the wire 8 between the clamping pawls 52 and then the front endclamping plate 46 positively presses the wire 8 until pawls 52 nip thewire therebetween. The wire at this instant is also retained between thecorresponding pair of confronting pieces 6 on the bridge 4.

In this way, guide plate 47 and clamping plate 46 in cooperation allowthe part of the wire projecting from nosepiece 38 to be retainedpositively on the block 3 despite the slight wire flexure which hasoccurred in the initial stage of wiring.

FIG. 12-C shows wiring block 3-2 which is located in opposing relationto first-mentioned block 3-1 to define a terminal point of the wiringpath. At this point of the wiring process, wire 8 payed out of nosepiece38 has been layed under tension from the block 3-1 to the block 3-2through pins 2 on the table 1 and guide pins 50 on the blocks) (FIG.13-A to FIG. 13-E). The nosepiece is flexed into engagement with a guideslot 54 of the block 3-2 as illustrated. Under this condition, the wire8 is aligned with a central region between neighboring clamping pawls 52and that between pieces 6 on the bridge 4.

When clamping jig 45 is lowered in the above situation, its rear endclamping plate 49 urges the wire 8 into the gap between clamping pawls52 while at the same time associated cutting edge 48 in cooperation withthe surface of the block 53 cuts the wire to a predetermined length.

Thereupon, motor 42 (see FIG. 9) is energized to turn the clamping jig45 to a position immediately to the rear of wiring jig 24. This restoresconditions to an initial stage of the wiring process.

Wiring procedures using wiring jig 24, clamping jig 45 and block 3 willnow be described with reference to the FIGS. 13A-13E.

(1) A selected wiring jig 24 is brought to the predetermined position Pwhereupon the unit 26 is driven to lower jig 24 to a position rearwardlyof block 3-1. (FIG. 13-A)

(2) Wiring jig 24 is moved along X shafts 12 and Y shaft 14 until itreaches the condition for starting a wiring operation (see FIG. 12-A).Then the clamping jig 45 is lowered by the actions of actuator 40,thereby fixing a predetermined length of wire 8 on the block 3-1 (seeFIGS. 12-A and 12-B) and then jig 45 is raised and capstans 18 and 33are driven. (FIG. 13-C)

(3) Wiring jig 24 is caused to travel toward wiring block 3-2 whilelaying out wire 8. (FIG. 13-C)

(4) Wiring jig 24 is positioned at the terminal point of wiring (seeFIG. 12-C) relative to block 3-2 whereupon the clamping jig 45 is againlowered to lock and cut the wire 8 and is then raised. Subsequently, thedrive of capstans 18 and 33 is interrupted. (FIG. 13-D)

(5) The orientation of the clamping jig is as follows. Wiring jig 24moving along the X and Y shafts is shifted to a position behind block3-2 while the clamping jig 45 is brought to a position immediately tothe rear of the wiring jig 24. (FIG. 13-E)

(6) Moving along shafts X and Y toward another preselected wiring block,wiring jig 24 is elevated by the action of unit 26 and is returned tothe start position.

(7) By repeating steps (1) to (6) with one or more of jigs 24 a desiredwire harness A as presented in FIG. 1-A is now obtained.

Referring to FIG. 14-A and (FIGS. 15C and 15D), wire 8 held betweenclamping pawls 52 is supported by block 53 for the cutting operation. Ifend portions of wires are required to be held in the bundle, anotherwire is laid upon the already cut wire as shown in FIG. 14-B, preventingproper cutting of wire 8. FIGS. 15-A to 16-E show a modification ofwiring block 3 in which the above situation is avoided.

Wire retaining groove 57 (FIGS. 15C and 15D) is defined between lowerportions of neighboring clamping pawls 52 while edge bearing member 59faces recess 58 lying between the pawls 52 and guide groove 54' and iscapable of elevating and tilting movements.

Edge bearer member 59 includes a pair of arms 60 each of which has alower portion journalled to the body 3 by cam shaft 62 received in avertically elongate slot 61 of the arm; slot 61 has its upper endenlarged. Spring 63 is anchored at one end to an intermediate portion ofeach arm 60 and at the other end to the upper part of body 3. Arms 60are usually biased by springs 63 to hold a position inclined towardguide groove 54' on top of body 3.

Wire guide groove 64 extends on that surface of the edge bearer member59 which faces the clamping pawls 52. Lugs or cams 65 project upwardlyfrom the edge bearer on opposite sides of groove 64. These lugs 65 areadapted to pull arms 60 up from the inclined position when engaged bythe cutting edge 48. The wiring block further includes pins 66 and 67for retaining spring 63 and stop pins 68 adapted to limit the tiltingmovement of the arms 60.

Operation of the wiring block 3 having the above construction will bedescribed hereinafter.

(1) As shown in FIG. 16-A, wire 8 is layed on the clamping pawls 52 onwiring block 3 and edge bearer 59. In this situation, each arm 60 iskept by the tension of the spring 63 in a position raised obliquelyupwardly about the lower end 0₁ of its elongate slot 61.

Laying of the wire is performed by wiring jig 24 as already discussed inconjunction with FIGS. 12A-12C.

(2) Under the above-mentioned condition, the cutting edge 48 of clampingjig 45 is lowered into engagement with slants 65a of lugs 65. Theresultant horizontal component of a force action on slants 65a causesarms 60 to pivot to a raised position about point 0₁ of thecorresponding slots 61.

Thus, the tension and angular position of each spring 63 is preselectedsuch that the following relations are satisfied:

    F.sub.h >T.sub.h, F.sub.v <T.sub.v

Where F_(h) and F_(v) denote horizontal and vertical components of aforce action on the slant 65a, respectively, and T_(h) and T_(v)horizontal and vertical components attributable to the resiliency of thespring 63. This permits arms 60 to be raised about point 0₁ of the slots61. (FIG. 16-B)

(3) Another lowering of cutting edge 48 moves arms 60 downwardly alongslots 61 until wire 8 is cut off. The center of pivotal movement of arm60 is shifted by spring 63 from 0₁ to point 0₂ contained in an upperportion of slot 61. (FIG. 16-C)

(4) When cutting edge 48 starts its upward or return stroke, arm 60 isretained in the upright lowered position through the upper enlargedportion of slot 61. Upon the disengagement of cutting edge 48 from slant65a, the arm tilts backwardly about point 0₂ under the action of thespring 63. At this instant, cam shaft 62 leaves enlarged portion 0₂ sothat arm 60 is elevated obliquely along slot 61. (FIG. 16-D)

(5) Raised by spring 63 while inclining, arm 60 returns to the initialposition (FIG. 15-A) without pushing the cut wire 8 up. Moreover, cutwire 8 does not give any touch to the edge bearer 60 owing to the guidegroove 64 (FIG. 15D). (FIG. 16-E) Edge bearer 60 is thus alwayspositioned above a wire which has been cut off as shown in FIGS. 16-Aand 16-B. Accordingly, when overlayed on the cut wire, the next wirewill be cut off by cutting edge 48 while being pushed down (FIG. 16-B).A plurality of wires can be retained in superposed relation with the aidof the recess or wire guide grooves 64 defined between lower portions ofthe clamp pawls 52. The wiring block of this type is usuable incombination with ones as shown in FIG. 11 to prepare a wire harnesswhich, as depicted in FIG. 17, has a desired configuration such as block3a in which end portions of wires 8 are held at equal spacings on bridge4 and block 3b in which a plurality of wires are retained in superposedrelation.

A positional relationship between wiring block 3 and a fusing unit isillustrated in FIGS. 18-A and 18-B. A fusing jig 72 includes body 69which is vertically mounted to frame 70 to reciprocate through actuator71.

The body 69 of the fusing jig is provided therein with a slidable plate73 having a plurality of slots 74. Accommodated in the respective slots74 are pressing bars 75 which are arranged in a comb-like configurationand each having an arcuate recess 76 at the lower end. These pressingbars 75 are reciprocated vertically following the action of actuator 77.Device 78 for supplying hot air is tiltably supported by body 69 of thejig.

Accommodating a heater (not shown), the blasting device 78 feeds airfrom ducts 79 and blasts hot air onto pieces 6 on bridge 4, thus fusingthe insulative coverings of wires 8 therewith. The fusing jig is alsoprovided with pin 80 which is engagable in the previously mentioned bore55 of block 3.

To fuse bridge 4 and the wires 8 together, the fusing jig 72 will beexplained as depicted in FIG. 19-A. In FIG. 19-A, actuator 71 lowers pin80 of jig 72 into engagement in the bore 55 of the wiring block 3 andpositions the respective pressing bars 75 on bridge 4. The blastingdevice 78 then blow hot air toward bridge 4.

After hot air processing actuator 77 is driven to lower pressing bars 75into recess 51 of block 3 where bridge 4 is positioned, the tops of thepieces 6 are pressed against and fused to the insulative coatings of thecorresponding wires 8 by the arcuate recesses 76 of bars 75 as viewed inFIG. 19-B. It will be recalled here that the confronting pieces 6 onbridge 4 have slants 7 (FIG. 1B) along the upper edges thereof.

Pieces 6 are engaged and deformed inwardly towards each other to sealwire 8 therein by the recessed bottom of the corresponding pressure bar75. The fusing jig 72 may be provided corresponding to each of multipleblocks 3 shown in FIG. 1-A in order to perform all at one time.Branching portions of respective wires 8 are thereafter wound withstrips of tape 9, yielding a wire harness B as indicated in FIG. 2.

The thus obtained wire harness B is further subjected to a insulativecovering removing step, a terminal fixing step and, a connector housingattaching step.

Referring to FIG. 20, an apparatus embodying the present inventionincludes outer framework supporter 81 and inner framework supporter 82.Within inner framework supporter 82, there is provided wire holder 83,uncovering and cutting unit 84 and terminal attaching unit 85. Theseassemblies 84 and 85 function in cooperative relation with wire holder83. Denoted by the reference numeral 86 is an electric wiring extendingfrom a control box (not shown) to the respective units of the apparatus.

Detailed constructions and operations of the various units will bestated in succession.

Wire holder 83 serves as a platform on which end portions of wireharness B are held. A plurality of guide pins 87 project upwardly fromthe rear end of the platform while an auxiliary clamp 88 is pivoted theplatform in such a manner as to be movable toward and away from theseries of guide pins 87. Wire holder 83 has leg 90 of a rectangularsection supported through a spring and a knock pin (not shown) by frame90 which uprises from seat 91 of inner framework supporter 82. Underusual condition, the wire holder is urged upwardly by the spring andheld at a predetermined level by the knock pin. In the event ofattaching terminal members to wires, the knock pin is retracted by amovement of terminal fixing unit 85 to lower the wire holder wherebyterminal members are allowed to reach a station below uncovered portionsof the wires Reference numeral. 88' designates a clamp adapted to pressauxiliary clamp 88 from above.

Unit 84 is illustrated in partly sectioned elevation in FIG. 21. Baseplate 92 is positioned at the rear of the wire holder 83.

Mounted rigidly to a rear portion of base 92 is cylinder 93 havingpiston 94 which is connected to lower plate 96 forming part of frame 95.Guides 99 extend along opposite sides of base 92 to guide the movementof lower plate 96 as will be described hereinafter. Base 92 has in itsfront portion recess 100 in which disc 101 is rotatably journalled. Cam120 is engagable with disc 101 to limit the movement of frame 95 towardwire holder 83 caused by cylinder 93.

Front plate 98 forming another part of frame 95 is formed with elongateslot 102 extending vertically in an intermediate area of the front plate98. Upper edge holder 103 and lower edge holder 103' are verticallyslidable and guided by slot 102.

Reference numerals 104 and 104' designate upper and lower cutting edges,respectively, each having a plurality of equally spaced and V-shapededge portions 105 (four shown in the drawing) as viewed in FIG. 22. Edgemembers 104 and 104' are secured to the front ends of the correspondingholders 103 and 103' such that their edge portions 105 confront eachother while having their backs aligned along a common axis. Meshing oflower cutting edge 104' with upper cutting edge 104 can be finelyadjusted by adjusting screw 106.

Cylindrical cam 108 is journalled to upper and lower plates 97 and 96 offrame 95 at opposite ends and is provided with cam grooves 109 and 109'on its periphery. Arms 107 and 107' extending from the rear ends of theedge holders 103 and 103' are slidably engaged in the cam grooves 109and 109', respectively.

The cam grooves 109 and 109' extend throughout the circumference of cam108 in vertically symmetrical relation. Each of the cam grooves has foursubstantially horizontal stepwise sections 109-A, 109-B, 109-C and 109-Dat regular spacings of 90° along the circumference of cam 108.Accordingly, cam 108 in rotation causes the upper and lower cuttingedges 104 and 104' to move toward and away from each other.

The horizontal sections 109-A to 109-D of the grooves 109 and 109' havesuch levels as will be discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 24-A to 24-D.When arms 107 and 107' associated with the corresponding edge holdersmove from the section 109-A to the sections 109-D via sections 109-B,109-C, 109-D and back to 109-A in accordance with each counterclockwise90° movement of cam 108, upper and lower cutting edges 104 and 104' aresuccessively moved through:

(i) a position remotest from wires 8 (FIG. 24-A),

(ii) a position in which they touch insulative coverings 8a of the wires8 from above and below (FIG. 4B),

(iii) a position in which they cut into the coverings 8a from above andbelow (FIG. 24-C),

(iv) a position in which they overlap each other to cut off conductors8b of the wires (FIG. 24-D) and back to the position (i).

The rotation of cam 108 and corresponding movements of the cutting edges104 and 104' are regulated by a reversible motor 110.

Capable of clockwise and counterclockwise movements of 90°, motor 110 issecured to lower plate 96 of frame 95 and has an output shaft 111 whichrigidly supports and carries in its upper portion plate 112 having pawl113. Gear 115 having ratchet teeth 114 on its underside is rotatablycoupled over a cylindrical extension of the plate 112.

The gear 115 is constructed such that a clockwise movement of motor 110causes gear 115 to turn in the same direction as ratchet 114 which ismeshed with pawl 113. Upon a reverse rotation of the motor, however,pawl 113 releases ratchet 114 to permit idling of gear 115. Theclockwise movement of motor 110 is transmitted to cam 108 through gear115 and gear 116 which is rigidly mounted on a shaft of the cam 108 andis meshed with gear 115, thereby varying the position of the cuttingedges 104 and 104'. A reverse rotation of the motor 110 however allowsgear 115 only to idle without displacing the cutting edges.

Flat cam 120 held in sliding engagement with disc 100 functions toregulate the operating positions of the cutting edges 104 and 104'. Asshown in FIG. 23, cam 120 has four curved points a, b, c and d at equalangular spacings of 90° around the circumference. The distances from thecenter o of the cam to the respective points a to d are selected tosatisfy the following relation and equation:

    oa<ob<oc<od

    oc-ob=d

where d indicates the length of the uncovered conductor 8b of the wire8.

In the situation depicted in FIG. 21, cam 120 is slidably engaged withdisc 100 at its point a so that cutting edges 104 and 104' remaindisengaged from each other at the position where they touch the wires 8.Subsequent reverse rotations of motor 110 cause cam 120 to turnreversely by 90° each whereby the cutting edges are moved from positionO to position O₃ via position O₁ and position O₂ as shown in FIGS. 28-Ato 28-E.

Terminal attaching unit 85 is illustrated in partly sectional frontelevation in FIG. 25. Cylinder 122 is rigidly mounted through bracket121 to one end (right end) of the base 92. Piston rod 123 extending fromcylinder 122 is connected through bracket 121' to one end of frame 124so that frame 124 is bodily movable laterally with respect to and behindwire holder 83.

Device 125 for pressing terminal members onto wires is mounted to frame124 in a position opposite to the piston rod 123.

The pressing device as shown in FIG. 26 includes lower die 126 and upperdie 128 secured to holder 127. Upper die 128 has on its undersidegrooves 129 and 130 which correspond to individual portions 163 and 164of terminals 162 as will be discussed hereinafter. A shear blade 131 ismounted through springs 133 to the outer periphery of lower die 126.Shear blade 131 is formed with recess 132 for supporting terminals 162in an upper portion of its inner wall. Shear blade presser 134 projectsdownwardly from die holder 127 and has grooves 135 on its underside foraccommodating the escape of wires. Die holder 127 is constantly urged bysprings (not shown) to a position above the lower die 126 and operatedby a hydraulic ram 136.

Reference numeral 137 denotes a terminal conveyor unit make up ofplatform 138, first pawl 140 for preventing reverse travel of terminalsand a second pawl 148 for feeding terminals.

Secured to frame 124 in the vicinity of the lower die 126 is a, platform138 which comprises two generally L-shaped parallel side plates spacedsuitably from each other. Each of these side plates is formed with aterminal supporting recess (not shown) in the same way as shear blade131.

First pawl 140 is afforded by a generally L-shaped flat member havingvertical arm 141 and horizontal arm 142 which has a downwardly inclinedend portion 143.

Part of the pawl 140 where arms 141 and 142 join is pivotally mounted toa wall of window 145 formed through a central area of pawl mount 144.Spring 147 is anchored at one end to vertical arm 140 and at the otherend to a pin 146 studded on the pawl mount 144, whereby horizontal arm142 is constantly biased to urge terminals 162 downwardly with its lowersurface.

Likewise, the second or feed pawl 148 takes the form of a generallyL-shaped flat member having vertical arm 149 and horizontal arm 150.Horizontal arm 150 has an upwardly inclined end portion 151 which iscontrastive to the downwardly inclined portion 143 of the first arm 140.

An intermediate bent portion of the pawl 148 is pivotally mounted to theupper part of a second pawl mount 152. This pawl 148 is biased by spring154 retained by vertical arm 149 and pin 153 such that the upper surfaceof horizontal arm 159 constantly urges the terminals 162 upwardly.

The second pawl mount 152 has a base portion nested in a groove 155extending along the center of frame 124 and is thus slidable along thegroove while facing inner walls of the confronting side plates 139 ofthe terminal support 138. Feed rod 156 extends from the rear end of pawlmount 152 through the brackets 121' and 121. A pair of cooperatingadjuster pieces 157 and 158 are held in threaded engagement on rod 156on opposite sides of bracket 121 for the adjustment of the amount ofterminal feed.

Turning to FIG. 27 and as, generally designated by reference numeral159, is a train of interconnected terminal members 162. The terminals162 are united together in parallel relation at predetermined spacingsby two parallel support pieces 160 and cross-pieces 161. The assembly159 also includes raised portions 163 and 164 for retaining conductorsand insulative coverings of wires when processed, respectively, andelectric contact portions 165.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 28-A to 29-B for the description ofa method of uncovering and cutting end portions of wires and fixingterminal members to the same.

(1) Securely retained by bridge 4 except an end portion, each wire 8 isloaded on the wire holder 83 and nipped by guide pins 87 and auxiliaryclamp 88. The cutting edges 104 and 104' remain in a position spacedbackwardly from wire holder 83. (FIG. 28-A)

(2) The cutting edges 104 and 104' in their open position are movedtoward wire holder 83 until the movement is interrupted at position O.(FIG. 28-B)

To effect this movement of the cutting edges, frame 95 is advanced bythe action of cylinder 93 with arms 107 and 107' held in the sections108-A of the grooves 109 and 109' as viewed in FIG. 24-A, causing thecurved point a of flat cam 120 to abut against disc 101 and thus becomehalted.

(3) The cutting edges 104 and 104' are brought closer to each other tolightly nip wire 8 from above and below (position O) and then moved backto position O₁. (FIG. 28-C)

More specifically, motor 110 is first turned 90° clockwise so thatcutting edges 104 and 104' nip the wire therebetween (FIG. 24-B) inaccordance with the rotation (reverse) of cylindrical cam 108. Motor 110is thereafter turned 90° reversely whereby the flat cam 120 is rotated(reverse) to move the cutting edges backwardly to position O₂. The drivepressure in this instance is preselected to be of such a magnitude as topermit a retreat of piston rod 123 of cylinder 122 during the rotationof flat cam 120.

In the above procedures (2) and (3), cutting edges 104 and 104' holdwire 8 which has been neatly nested in between neighboring guide pins87. Hence, the end portion of the wire is nipped positively even if bentin any direction and, moreover, the bent is corrected to straighten thewire.

In the position O₁ the cutting edges are respectively driven into theinsulative covering 8a alone of the wire 8 and then moved back toposition O₂. Consequently, wire 8 has its conductor 8b exposed over thelength O₁ -O₂ (FIG. 28-D).

More specifically, motor 110 is driven forwardly and reversely insequence to cause reverse rotations of cylindrical cam 108 and flat cam120. Frame 95 (FIG. 21) thus recedes while the cutting edges uncoverwire 8 (FIG. 24-C).

At position O₂, the cutting edges cut the conductor 8b of the wire offand thereafter return to the initial position remote from the wireholder. As a result, the respective wires 8 are cut off at positionscommonly distant from the bridge 4 to have their ends all aligned. Also,the exposed lengths d of the conductors 8b are the same as one another.(FIG. 28-E)

For the above procedure, motor 110 is again driven for successiveforward and reverse rotations to turn cylindrical cam 108 and flat cam120 reversely causing the cutting edges to obtain the cutting state(FIG. 24-D) and then position O₃. Subsequently, cylinder 93 is actuatedto move frame 95 rearwardly whereupon motor 110 is again turnedforwardly and reversely to thereby allow cams 108 and 120 and othermembers to restore the positions indicated in (1).

The peeling and cutting of wires are completed in the above-describedmanner. In short, motor 110 is driven for successive forward and reversemotions repeatedly four times to cause one full rotation of each of cams108 and 120; the cooperative mechanism of the cams 108 and 120 actuatethe cutting edges for nipping, peeling and cutting of wires inpreselected positions.

(6) Terminal attaching unit 85 is located to the right of wire holder83. (FIG. 20)

(7) Frame 124 is moved by the action of the cylinder 122 until fixingunit 125 reaches a position at the rear of wire holder 83.

Train 159 of terminals advance in correspondence with the number ofwires 8 under the actions of L-shaped pawls 140 and 148. (FIG. 29-A)

(8) Individual terminals 162 in the train 159 are fixed onto the endportions of respective wires 8 while, at the same time, the connectingpieces 161 at opposite ends of terminal 162 are cut off and separatedfrom the terminals.

More specifically, in FIGS. 29-A to 29-B, ram 106 is actuated to lowerupper die 128 onto lower die 126 so as to press raised pieces 163 and164 of terminals 162 firmly onto wires 8. Simultaneously, shear bladepresser 134 is lowered to push shear blade 131 downwardly against theaction of springs 133 thereby cutting the connecting pieces 161 off fromterminals 162. Meanwhile, wires 8 are received in and protected bygrooves 135 of shear blade presser 134.

(9) Thereafter, ram 106 is elevated and shear blade 131 restores theordinary raised level with the aid of the springs 133. By the cylinder122, unit 85 is bodily moved away from wire holder 83 back to theposition shown in FIG. 29-A.

While the distance travelled by terminal attaching unit 85 is QQ₁, theamount of movement of the feed pawl 148 of conveyor device 137 islimited to Q₂ Q₃ by the adjuster pieces 157 and 158. Hence a number ofterminals 162 corresponding to the difference in distance QQ₁ -Q₂ Q₃(four in the illustrated case) will be supplied in the next pressingstep. In other words, a desired number of terminals can be fed to lowerdie 126 merely by adjusting the spacing between pieces 157 and 158.

The steps (1-9) discussed hereinabove will be repeated in sequence.Thus, a plurality of wire end portions can be subjected simultaneouslyto each step of removing the insulative covering, cutting the conductiveportion and fixing terminals onto the exposed end portions. It willreadily occur to those who are skilled in the art that such procedurescan take place automatically under known sequence control or can becontrolled manually for each step. Terminal housing 11 can be attachedto the thus obtained wire harness C to accommodate the terminal membersand form completed wire harness D.

It will therefore be appreciated that a wire harness obtainable by thepresent invention promotes easy connection of terminal members andattachment of connectors and the like. Thus, as a whole, productivity isimproved.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by wayof illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, itwill, of course, be understood that various changes and modificationsmay be made in the form, details, and arrangements of the parts withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as set forth in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a wire harnesscomprising the steps of:(a) arranging a plurality of wiring blocks atpredetermined spacing therebetween, each wiring block carrying a bridgeadapted to hold a plurality of covered wires thereon at their endportions extending from the bridge by equal amounts; (b) engaging onefree end portion of a covered wire on one wiring block of said pluralityof wiring blocks; (c) extending said covered wire above a second wiringblock of said plurality of wiring blocks; (d) engaging the covered wireon said second wiring block to cut said wire at a predetermined positionbeyond the engaged portion thereof, said engaging and extending steps(b), (c), (d) including a feeding of said wire in a directionperpendicular to a plane of the harness and, step (d) further includinga cutting of said wire at the site of said second wiring blockindependently of the presence of a second wire contiguous to saidcovered wire; (e) repeating the steps of (a) to (d) whereby a pluralityof covered wires is laid out between intended wiring blocks; and (f)fastening each covered wire to the related bridge wherein said bridgehas a nipping meands disposed nearby and each step of (b) and (d)includes a step of nipping said wire by said nipping means.
 2. A methodof manufacturing a wire harness comprising the steps of:(a) arranging aplurality of wiring blocks at predetermined spacing therebetween, eachwiring block carrying a bridge adapted to hold a plurality of coveredwires thereon at their end portions with suitable spacings therebetweenand with said end portions extending from the bridge by equal amounts;(b) engaging one free end portion of a covered wire on one wiring blockof said plurality of wiring blocks; (c) extending said covered wireabove a second wiring block of said plurality of wiring blocks; (d)engaging the covered wire on said second wiring block to cut said wireat a predetermined position beyond the engaged portion thereof, saidengaging and said extending steps (b), (c), (d) including a feeding ofsaid wire in a direction perpendicular to a plane of the harness and,step (d) further including a cutting of said wire at the site of saidsecond wiring block independently of the presence of a second wirecontiguous to said covered wire; and (e) repeating the steps of (a) to(d), whereby a plurality of covered wires is laid out between intendedwiring blocks; and (f) fastening each covered wire to the relatedbridge, said fastening including a bending of partitions of respectiveones of said wiring blocks about a covered wire to form an archthereabout.
 3. A method of manufacturing a wire harness, according toclaim 2, wherein said covered wire is payed out from a selected one ofat least one reel.
 4. A method of manufacturing a wire harness accordingto claim 2, wherein said bridges are of a thermoplastic resin and eachstep of (b) and (d) includes the steps of (f) depositing the coveredwire on a bridge, (g) heat fusing the bridge, and (h) pressing thebridge and the covered wire together.
 5. A method of manufacturing awire harness according to claim 2, wherein each step of (b) and (d)includes a step of securing the covered wire onto the bridge with anadhesive.
 6. A method according to claim 2, wherein said plurality ofwiring blocks are arranged on a work table stationed at a first workzone, and said method further including the step of (j) shifting thework table to a second work zone, and, said step of (f) being performedin the second work zone.
 7. A method of manufacturing a wire harnesscomprising the steps of:(a) arranging a plurality of wiring blocks atpredetermined spacings therebetween on a work table, each wiring blockdetachably carrying a bridge thereon adapted to hold a plurality ofcovered wires thereon at their end portions with suitable spacingstherebetween; (b) paying out a covered wire substantially verticallyfrom above to direct a free end thereof toward the work table; (c)translating said covered wire toward a first wiring block selected fromsaid plurality of wiring blocks to bring said wire into contacttherewith sideways, said translating step being continued to lay thewire on the first block; (d) stopping said translating step to clamp thewire on the first wiring block; (e) resuming the translating step toimpart the clamped wire with tension while further paying out the samefrom above; (f) engaging the clamped wire in a stretched condition withthe bridge on said first wiring block at a first point spaced apart fromthe free end by a predetermined distance; (g) continuing said resumedtranslating and paying-out step to extend, in a stretched condition, thecovered wire above a second wiring block selected from said plurality ofwiring blocks; (h) engaging the said covered wire with the bridge onsaid second wiring block; (i) maintaining said stretched condition toclamp the wire on the second wiring block at a predetermined position;(j) cutting the wire at a second point beyond said predeterminedposition and spaced apart from the bridge by a predetermined distance;(k) repeating the steps (a) to (j) whereby a plurality of covered wiresare laid out between intended wiring blocks; and (l) fastening eachcovered wire to the related bridge.
 8. A method of manufacturing a wireharness according to claim 7, wherein said covered wire is payed outfrom at least one reel.
 9. A method of manufacturing a wire harnessaccording claim 8, wherein said bridges are of a thermoplastic resin andeach step of (f) and (h) includes the steps of (m) depositing thecovered wire on each related bridge, (n) heat fusing the bridge, and (o)pressing the bridge and the covered wire together.
 10. A method ofmanufacturing a wire harness according to claim 7, wherein each step of(f) and (h) includes a step of securing the covered wire onto the bridgewith an adhesive.
 11. A method of manufacturing a wire harness accordingto claim 7, wherein said plurality of wiring blocks are arranged on thework table stationed at a first work zone, and said method furtherincluding the step of (p) shifting the work table to a second work zone,said step of (a) to (k) being performed in the first work zone, and saidstep of (l) being performed in the second work zone.